Augustus Road

Soon, the entire shallow water area of ​​​​the harbor was filled with soldiers standing half-waisted in the water, holding shields in both hands, and some even had no armor at all. They were all struggling towards the pier and square, Rhode Island. The people were desperate. They abandoned the city walls and commanding heights that could protect and suppress the harbor. There they were fiercely attacked by two legions outside Casillo. Many people were patrolling in the open space between the new wall and the acropolis, looking for With his own city law enforcement officer.

The law enforcer Clearchus was found in front of the woodland outside the acropolis. At that time, he was directing a group of people to assemble a larger sling, preparing to withstand the towed surprise attack of the Cassius fleet. However, he was quickly surrounded by many elders, Nobles and officers surrounded him and demanded that "the fall of Camelot is now near and the time has come for an honorable surrender."

"Is this the collective will of the country? But you have to know that even if Cassio gets the city of Camelot, it will be difficult for him to win in the subsequent all-out confrontation with the Roman high priest. If we surrender here, But all the efforts have been wasted, don’t wait any longer for the high priest to come, our country’s tax rights and independence will be taken away,” the law enforcement officer said to the crowd.

This question caused everyone to fall silent again. The law enforcement officer then looked at the situation around him and continued to everyone in a low voice, "In my opinion, first send an envoy to negotiate for peace and express his willingness to cede land and pay compensation, and everything will be agreed with Kazakhstan." Let’s talk to Xiyo to delay the attack; in the meantime, we will gather the remaining baggage and money and retreat to the Acropolis to continue to defend the city.”

Several elders expressed concern about this tightrope approach, but for today's moment. The law enforcement officer's suggestion seems to be the only feasible way to protect the country. Who said that the people of Rhode Island have been a small country trying to survive in the teeth of all the powerful powers for hundreds of years?

In the harbor. Among the shipwrecks and corpses floating everywhere, a small boat carrying envoys, under the flag of suing for peace, boarded Cassio's flagship and expressed its willingness to cede the entire island to the sea, including the cities of Rhodes and Camelos. Port, and handed over to Cassius all ten remaining large ships with decks and horns (the Rhode Islanders cunningly hid them in caves on the seaside), and promised to deliver them every year for the next three years. Ten new ships were provided to Cassidy. and the corresponding rowers, and finally the envoy was willing to sign a treaty of three hundred talents of indemnity on behalf of the state.

"If you give all these to me, people of Rhode Island, what will you keep for yourself?" Casio laughed wildly and asked the envoy.

"We are willing to return to the mountains in the middle of the island and live a life of logging and herding. It is enough to be able to save our gods, women and children." The envoys begged Cassiyo one after another in a begging tone.

"Don't use this trick to deceive me. I am also the commander-in-chief of the Roman navy. I know the cunningness of you sea people. Your promises are as changeable and repetitive as the sea itself." Cassio refused loudly. "Don't say a single word in front of me now. Immediately hand over the thirty noble hostages, and then hand over the last acropolis, and all the strongholds and warehouses in the city before sunset, otherwise I will fight with your beloved puppet prince. Like the priest, he destroyed the entire city of Camelot and turned the country of Rhodes into ashes."

The envoys were frightened and fled under Casio's scolding. Then the heralds stood on the deck one after another. Casio issued orders to them: "This is a trick by the Rhode Islanders to pretend to surrender and delay time. Ignore them. I ordered the two legions outside the city to step up the attack on the new walls of Camelot City, trying to destroy and capture them all before sunset, and sent three more squadrons to come to the harbor by ship to reinforce me. "

Sure enough, after half a day, the Rhode Islanders gathered all the remaining strong men into the acropolis and continued to resist with fire and death, while the rest of the old and weak were all thrown on the other side of the wall, with loud cries. , many priests had taken poison and killed themselves in the city temples, and their corpses were lying all over the halls.

On the sea side of the siege position, several centurions and tribunes from Casillo were directing the reinforcements to board the deck of the transport ship. "Hurry up, hurry up, the sun is setting in the west now, Commander We don’t have that much time, we have to capture this key city before the enemy gets support. As long as we capture it, the situation will become favorable to us. "

After a while, about thirty transport ships, carrying 1,200 soldiers, sailed towards the harbor on the other side of the headland, about six miles away from Rome. By this time, the sun had already set behind all their ships. , the masts and sails were glowing with golden light.

The monotonous sound of water, the monotonous sound of oars and drums, and in the light refracted on the sea, the navigator at the front has already seen the mountains and birds in front of the port of Camelot, "get ready to turn the helm."

At this moment, there was a commotion on the deck, and several transport ships appeared around the cliff on the opposite promontory. They were all soldiers, and the shields hanging on the sides of the ships were shining brightly.

"Show the flag, raise the flag, and ask for their identities." The navigator was very panicked. Although he had learned the answer to the riddle, he still didn't give up.

After the other navigators waved the flags in their hands, the fleet was still moving forward stupidly, as if their goal was just to reach the port and they were completely blind to their own side.

"Asshole, asshole, shoot!" As the navigator roared, the bowstring of the crossbow on the deck of the ship tightened, and the stone bullet flew over and hit the stern of a parallel ship on the opposite side. Several soldiers on the other side were killed or injured, and then there was a roar of cursing. The navigator could see clearly now that it was all Italian mixed with Gallic dialect, and the shield logo that fell and floated on the sea water was a white elephant. It was clear that this group of soldiers was undoubtedly the enemy's Fifth Skylark Legion.

The Fifth Legion was unambiguous. When they found that it was the enemy over there, they also opened fire with the small catapults or scorpion crossbows on their ships. The two sides faced each other and approached each other in front of the narrow waterway of the wreck in the harbor. Because there were no layered cabins and decks, the oarsmen stood up and stabbed and slapped each other with long oars, and the infantry soldiers of both sides also staggered and climbed up, jumping and slashing each other between the approaching ships. Those who fell into the water were groaning and crawling on the deck.

Soon, many transport ships sank quickly in front of the wreck fortifications, completely blocking the waterway, but the fleets of both sides continued to fight without giving in.

However, this fleet was only carrying two battalions of the Skylark Legion, the advance team. Behind them, the main fleet of Lepidus, with purple sails hoisted, was lined up in a flying goose formation and quickly joined the battle. The outcome was instantly decided. Cassiyo's reinforcement fleet was either destroyed or ran aground near the sunken ship. More than a thousand soldiers were partially drowned, and the rest were all captured like dead fish, and several of them were sent to Macmillan. (To be continued...)